Meet me at the fair

One of our top ten regrets about leaving Syracuse several months before we'd planned is that we were unable to bask in the wonder and spectacle that is the Great New York State Fair. Jeremy and I have always been fair folk (which is different from "carnies," if you're taking notes), but we have never seen anything like unto the Great New York State Fair. We aren't much for carnival rides, but we love strolling through the animal barns, scurrying away from escaping pigs, and watching livestock and horse competitions.


So believe me when I say that we were prepared to be disappointed in our visit to last weekend's North Idaho Fair and Rodeo. And I would be wrong if I said that a few things failed to measure up. For one, there was no dairy pavilion selling 25 cent cups of white and chocolate milk. And there was no butter sculpture. And there was no place to get a cheap and delicious baked potato with all the fixins. (Yes. In Idaho.)


Those few (albeit significant) disappointments excepted, we thought it was quite a fun fair. Clara was way more into the animals this year, and she spent the whole afternoon saying, "Pigs! Horses! Donkeys! Ponies! Chickens! Cows! Rabbits!" hoping we would eventually work our way BACK through all of the barn buildings. Plus, at one point Jeremy and I were talking with a vendor, and when we turned around Clara was sitting in her stroller playing with a stuffed frog toy that (we assume) some admirer had given to her in response to her magnetic cuteness and charm. When we asked her where she got it, she said, "Man give it you." Maybe this is true, but sometimes she makes up stuff, like when we go to get her out of bed in the morning and she says things like, "Man knock window" or "Pony knock window" or "Dolphin knock window." Really anyone (or no one) could be knocking on her window or giving her plush frogs. It's almost impossible to say.


So there it is. We have chosen to embrace the North Idaho Fair and Rodeo as a marginally acceptable substitute for the Great New York State Fair. Join us in taking a deep sigh of relief.

The delights of the season

We have taken full advantage of our twice-weekly farmers' market, much to our perpetual pleasure. The selection is only getting better as the season progresses, and when the market doesn't have something we want we head to a nearby farm stand or to the grocery store for local peaches and apricots. This has been the summer of fruit, and it's not unusual for Clara to wake up in the morning and ask to go to the market.

Clara loves "peachies," "neck-eens" (nectarines), and "cot-cots" (apricots) most, though she would also eat her weight in fresh blueberries and blackberries--and even huckleberries if we could afford them (40 dollars a gallon!). She was really disappointed in the picture of her eating a blackberry, though, since her face was so messy. She kept pointing and saying, "Care-la. Face. Messy. Wash it."


Another bonus we've enjoyed from the farmers' market has been fresh rhubarb, which we've used to make a little treat called red mush--a dish my family (on my mom's side) will no doubt know and love. I hadn't seen rhubarb for several weeks, but when we were there on Saturday a Chinese couple was advertising "rubber" on sale for a dollar a bundle. I figured something was probably lost in translation and worked my way over to buy the best rhubarb I've seen all year. We have thoroughly enjoyed working our way through what is probably our last batch of red mush for the year.

If I were going to peg a disappointment with the farmers' market, it would be that a few weeks ago we decided to splurge on a $3 breakfast burrito from a vendor called "The Taco Chic." Nothing on the sign indicated that they used any special ingredients, so we assumed (as I'm sure most people would) that the breakfast burrito would be made of eggs. Not so, friends. I took my first bite, then looked at Jeremy and said, "Uh, Jer, I think this is tofu." He took a few bites and was so crushed with disappointment that he couldn't continue and has scarcely spoken of it since. We do not so much love the tofu. But don't worry: since I am eight months pregnant and cannot bear to lose three dollars, I finished the whole thing. The salsa was fantastic.

Fire Shuck!

Clara is developing a few pint-size passions as she nears the end of her second year of life. One of these passions is animals. Another is the color blue (everything is the color blue). But one of the most meaningful to her is her enjoyment and admiration of fire trucks, or "shucks," a type of vehicle that also often includes garbage shucks, recycling shucks, moving shucks, cement shucks--basically all big shucks.


But fire shucks are by far her favorite. Every time we get in the car (really--every time) she begins her special mantra of "Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Fire shuck? Fire shuck? Fire shuck?" She is especially thrilled if we're headed towards downtown, where we pass a fire station where the trucks are typically on display.


Given this background, you might imagine her elation at being able to go to a very special carnival at the public library today with Jeremy (I was at my OB's for most of it, unfortunately), where real-life firefighters were grilling hot dogs, accompanied by a real-life fire truck. The carnival was a celebration of the summer reading program, which we have attended faithfully, and which is now over until September (sad!). Many games and activities greeted carnival participants, but Clara had eyes only for the firefighters, their truck, and the playground. You'll note in this first video a bit of ambivalence about getting too close to the fire truck, but trust us: she was thrilled to see such a fine speciman.



After I joined up with Jeremy and Clara and we'd eaten and roamed a bit, we went into the library to get a few new books, including several about transportation and fire trucks. In the garage when we got home, Clara told Jeremy she wanted a kiss, after which she proceeded to kiss the picture of the firefighter on one of her books. And hopefully that will explain this last video. Like I said, she's a woman of passion.

Summer Cinema

In Coeur d'Alene, one of the local theaters has a free "family movie festival" every week during the summer, where they screen G and PG rated kids movies Tuesday through Thursday mornings (Syracuse did this too, so I think it's probably pretty common). I've never taken Clara, but this week they're showing "Wallace and Gromit: the Curse of the Were-Rabbit," and since Clara loves Wallace and Gromit (at least the three original shorts) I thought we'd try it.

As it turns out, Clara is still very sensitive to overstimulation (residual impact of being a preemie, perhaps--not uncommon), and we only lasted for about 20 minutes before she decided she wanted to go home and watch the "dog show" in the comfort of our living room, so that's exactly what we did. On the ride home she did spend a lot of time talking about the "rabbit moo-bee," so maybe one day she'll be ready to see something on the big screen.

And we're back...

Well, loyal readers, it's been awhile, but I'm happy to be back with my first original post in nearly a month. We are happily settling in to our new home in the Inland Empire, and I honestly have a difficult time imagining a more wonderful place to live. We just returned from the second leg of a city park extravaganza to celebrate the opening of a new bike path between three of the city parks. Much food and fun to be had in beautiful weather. As we pulled into our garage for a pit stop before heading out for free Dutch oven dinner later this evening at the last of the three-park tour, I said, "I can't imagine living anywhere better than this!" And yes, I realize that it's difficult not to be happy in summertime weather that typically hovers around 80 degrees, and I realize that we have a long winter ahead of us, but none of this troubles me. All we've done in our marriage is slog through long winters, and I can't imagine even north Idaho gets more snow than scenic S-Y, NY!

And I will also freely admit that life seems much more rosy since my whole family is back together. I know our seven week separation was for a good cause (I've just got to carry this baby to term this time!), but I truly felt each of those 42 days away from Jeremy. Brutal. We are much happier to be settled and following each other around like lost puppies. And Clara loves having Dada back as well. If he leaves the house at all, she wanders around saying, "Dada! Dada!" until I reassure her of a swift return.

Here are a few pictures to whet your waiting whistle for the adventures and intrigue that lie ahead...

I like it when we eat new things

Nothing says "Welcome, summer" like a girl's first-ever popsicle. She surely enjoyed the treat, and when the last bit fell off the stick she spent several minutes working to put the stick back through the popsicle. I will admit that the whole event turned into quite a sticky situation, but her glee was worth the mess.

Polish Fest 2007

Kielbasa. Pierogis. Mmmm. We went to the Polish Festival in Clinton Square for the food, and we were not disappointed. But the highlight of the day was our non-Polish trip to Friendly's ice cream, where they were serving up free cones. Bless Friendly's and their Hunka Chunka PB Fudge.

Onondaga Lake Day

Despite the hot, muggy, hazy weather, we had a great afternoon picnicking and walking at Onondaga Lake. The highlight: an hour spent with four sailing enthusiasts on the screened porch of the Onondaga Yacht Club. Ahoy!